Title : Genetic variability, heritability and genetic advance for yield and agronomic traits in winged bean
Abstract:
Winged bean (Psophocarpus tetragonolobus (L.) DC.) is an underutilized crop with valuable nutritional properties that can help alleviate nutritional insecurity. However, its global production remains low due to the lack of high-yielding varieties. Evaluating genetic variability is essential for breeding high-yielding winged bean varieties. This study aimed to assess genetic variability, heritability, and genetic advance for yield and agronomic traits in the winged bean. One hundred and ten accessions of winged bean were evaluated over two years using an alpha lattice design with three replications and eleven blocks to study the relevant traits. Significant variation (P < .001) was observed for all studied traits. Higher values of the Genotypic Coefficient of Variability (GCV), Phenotypic Coefficient of Variability (PCV) and Environmental Coefficient of Variability (ECV) were recorded for Total Seed Weight (TSW) (kg) (12.33%, 72.33% and 71.13%), as well as the Total Pod Weight (TPDW) (kg) (9.93%, 68% and 67.27%), and Number of Seeds Per Plant (NSPP) (9.38%, 54.45%, and 53.63%). Higher broad-sense heritability (h2) estimates were observed for the Pod Length (PL) (87.56%), Fifty Percent Flower (FPF) (84.98%), and Pod Weight (PW) (78.86%). High Genetic Advance as a percentage of the Mean (GAM) coupled with higher heritability (h2) was noted for the Pod Length (PL) (20.82%) and the fifty percent flower (227.58). TPt-216, TPt-270 and TPt-260 were identified as high-yielding accessions. These results indicate substantial genetic variability among the accessions, highlighting the potential for selecting promising lines for future winged bean breeding programs.Keywords: genetic variability, heritability, genetic advance, winged bean.
